


Who Would You Date On the Volleyball Team?

by dgalerab



Category: Haikyuu!!
Genre: (Actually he likes him a lot), Brotp, Fluff, Hinata is hopeless, Kageyama is a dork, Kenma puts up with Shoyo, M/M, Misunderstandings, Mutual Pining, minor injury
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-05-28
Updated: 2016-05-28
Packaged: 2018-07-10 18:37:05
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 5,661
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/6999847
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/dgalerab/pseuds/dgalerab
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Tsukishima and Yamaguchi are dating. Hinata is thrilled to know that he can date someone on the volleyball team, though the reasons why might have gone over his head a little. Kageyama doesn't have the same luxury.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Who Would You Date On the Volleyball Team?

It starts, at least for Hinata, on a cold morning. He’s walking with Tanaka, Nishinoya, Sugawara and Kageyema towards the clubhouse. He and Kageyama are later than usual, having been caught up in class to be scolded for their grades. Everyone else is earlier than usual, and maybe that’s why Tsukisima and Yamaguchi are still outside the gym. Maybe that’s why they all catch a glimpse at a quick kiss before Tsukishima notices them, right over Yamaguchi’s head.

He looks as bored as ever, but anyone who knows him would see the tension in his shoulders, like he’s ready for a fight. No one says anything, though.

It takes Hinata a moment to figure out, to be honest. He kisses his sister all the time, though not on the lips like that. He’d never felt it was the time to kiss his teammates, but he wouldn’t mind doing it. Again, maybe not on the lips, but…

“ _You’re dating?_ ” he blurts out, once it’s finally sunk in.

“Yes,” Tsukisima says, a little more dangerously than usual. Of course, that sails right over Hinata’s head.

“ _You can do that?_ ” Hinata cries, raising his hands in front of his face. Suddenly everything seems different. “Date someone from the volleyball team?!”

Now everyone is staring at him. Hinata is too excited by this new revelation to realize this.  “You could practice volleyball on dates!” he continues, and Tsukisima slumps a little, too bewildered to even look properly scornful, though he’s trying. “Talk about volleyball all the time! Secret special couple moves! Awesome!”

He glances at his teammates. _But you can only date one person_ , he remembers. He puts on his hands on his hips. “If I could date someone on the volleyball team, I would date Noya-sempai, because he’s awesome and I would be taller than him,” he declares. “Wait… no.” He rubs his chin. “I would date Asahi-san, because he’s the ace and he could teach me.”

By now, Suga has caught up and is laughing at them, and Noya is still confused but seems very flattered that he was picked, and Tanaka is still trying to catch up. It’s only Kageyama who manages to respond, obviously by slapping Hinata over the head. “Idiot!” he yells. “Dating isn’t volleyball! You don’t chose who to date with some strategy!”

Now everyone is staring at Kageyama, and he shrinks back immediately, blushing. “It’s… it’s about… s-someone who…” He folds in on himself a little, and quietly says, “…makes you feel special… and… happy.”

“Ah,” Hinata says thoughtfully.

“Ohhh,” Tanaka coos. “Kageyama understands romance… who would have thought.” He pats Kageyama on the head, and Kageyama looks like he wants to die.

“I think I understand,” Hinata says. He puffs himself up. “I would date Suga-san, because his compliments make me feel special and nice.”

He’s proud of himself for getting it ( _take that Kageyama_ ) until he realizes they’re all watching him like he still doesn’t get it. Tsukishima is muttering ‘hopeless’. Suga-san is grinning in that way that he does when you’ve done something cute but very dumb. Kageyama looks like he wants to punch him. Noya is grinning at him.

“What?” he asks, confused.

“Ah,” Suga says kindly. “You’ll get it eventually, Hinata.”

 _But Kageyama gets it now,_ Hinata thinks. _I can’t lose to him over this._ “Noya-senpai,” he says. “Who would you date on the volleyball team?”

“Asahi,” Noya says immediately. “He needs someone strong to take care of him.”

“Oooh,” Hinata sighs out. _So selfless_ , _Noya-san… you’re so awesome._ He looks up at Suga. “Who would you date off the volleyball team?”

“Ah,” Suga says, waving his hands defensively. “Hinata, I can’t answer that. I couldn’t chose to date someone I’m not in love with, for any reason.”

Hinata hums thoughtfully. He still doesn’t get it. “Tanaka-senpai,” he says. “Who would you date off the volleyball team?”

Tanaka laughs, striking a pose. “Hinata… I couldn’t rob women of this.” He gestures to himself.

Hinata nods sagely. “Tanaka, you’re so awesome,” he says. Suga looks like he’s trying to correct him, but doesn’t want to be mean about it. Hinata glances at Kageyama, and he supposes it’s only fair. “Kageyama,” he asks, tilting his head. “Who would you date off the volleyball team?”

For a moment, every hair on Kageyama’s head seems to stand up. Then he’s yelling at Hinata. “Idiot! Don’t ask me that! I told you it’s not about strategies! Dumbass!”

“Aaaaaah, Kageyama…” Tanaka drones. “Everyone else answered, it’s your turn now.”

“It’s a stupid question!” Kageyama yells, and Tanaka starts poking his face teasingly. Kageyama slaps his hand away and in a moment they become a big, yelling, sloppy slap fight.

“You know there’s a girl’s volleyball team, right?” Tsukishima says finally.

Hinata has almost forgotten that they’re what started this all. He blushes, rubbing at the back of his head. “Sorry for making such a commotion,” he says. “I’m happy for you.”

Tsukishima lets out a sigh that’s too bored to become a proper sigh. “You’re not good at anything else,” he mutters, and walks into the gym.

Yamaguchi smiles at him. “It’s ok,” he says. “I think he’s actually glad you took the attention off of us. He was worried about what the team would think, even if he won’t admit it.”

“Oh… okay,” Hinata says. “Is it nice?”

“Well… I don’t think either of us is as obsessed with volleyball as you or Kageyama,” Yamaguchi says awkwardly. “We started dating before I even played.”

“Ah,” Hinata says. It seems kind of disappointing to be dating a team member and not have it be about volleyball. “But is it nice?”

Yamaguchi smiles at him, a kind of smile that’s totally unfamiliar to Hinata. “Yeah,” he says. “It’s nice.”

-X-

To be fair, Kageyama doesn’t know when it started for him. Perhaps when Hinata learned how to do proper quicks with him. When he started realizing that Hinata, however long it took him, would learn to keep up with anything he wanted to do. That Hinata found nothing more important than keeping up with him, even if it was only to beat him.

Usually, though, he doesn’t think about it much. He can play volleyball with Hinata. They’re a volleyball duo, a team. Everyone treats them as one. Nine and ten. No matter how good either of them is, when people talk about Karasuno, they melt into one entity.

That seems… more than enough. Most of the time.

Which is why Kageyama doesn’t understand why he’s so upset now. Hinata floundering around, trying to choose who to date on the team when it was obvious he was just lost should be terrible. Kageyama _knows_ he’s not going to start dating Suga, that he wasn’t taking the thing seriously.

Maybe it’s because Suga is a setter too. Maybe it’s because despite all the talk about the freak duo, Hinata didn’t even think about mentioning him as a date. Maybe it’s because Tanaka tried to get him to say who he’d date and he can’t help wondering what face Hinata would have made if he’d been honest.

Each reason seems more childish than the next, but Kageyama finds himself curled up in bed, pillow lumped over his head, buried in blankets. He tries crying, but he’s not that upset, just painfully off. He tries hating Suga, at least for a little while, until he gets a hold of himself, but he can’t.

 _Secret couple moves_ , he thinks. Maybe that’s what upsets him. The fact that Hinata is constantly straining to be good without him. The ace, like Asahi, who could spike and score without a good setter. Without Kageyama. Hinata needs him now, but he doesn’t want to. He wants to beat Kageyama. So far, Kageyama has felt like that means Hinata will always be with him, but now he realizes that it means Hinata wants to break free from him, stand on the other side of the court. Like Oikawa. Like his old teammates.

It had hurt so much when his teammates had abandoned him. How much would it hurt when Hinata was no longer behind him to spike his tosses?

He curled in on himself a little more.

Stupid Hinata.

He’d probably forgotten the whole conversation already.

Probably he was doing something carefree. Smiling.

Maybe texting Kenma. Another setter. Hinata never texted him.

He rolled over onto his stomach, shoving his face into the pillows. He couldn’t be jealous of every setter that Hinata seemed to like more than him. It was petty. And silly.

But right now, he was.

He falls asleep eventually. He dreams that his toss has fallen on the court, far too loud. Hinata is not behind him. Hinata is flying, straight over the net, and he smiles back at Kageyama. _I don’t need you anymore_ , that smile says.

Kageyama wakes up feeling more tired than he did before.

-X-

Hinata can tell within the first moment that something is wrong with Kageyama. He takes off running as soon as he sees Kageyama, ready to race to the gym, but Kageyama just keeps walking, head bent and feet sliding along.

Hinata jogs back to him. “Hey,” he says, trying to catch a look at Kageyama’s face, even as his bangs hang low over his eyes. “What’s wrong?”

“I’m fine,” Kageyama says. He even sounds exhausted.

“You look terrible,” Hinata says.

“I didn’t sleep well,” Kageyama  says.

“Eh? Did you have a nightmare?” Hinata asks. “What was it? Did you see a scary movie too late at night?” He tilts his head. “I did that once. There was a ghost lady and she…”

Kageyama shuts the gym door in his face. Hinata stares at it, as though the door was the offending party. He yanks it open and bolts over to Kageyama. “Can I help somehow?” he asks.

Kageyama shakes his head. He won’t look at Hinata.

“You know you can talk to me about anything, right?” Hinata says. “We’re friends.”

Kageyama freezes, bag halfway lowered to the ground but still clutched in his hand, as though his life depends on it.

“It’s just a stupid thought,” Kageyama says. “I just can’t seem to get it out of my head.”

“Huh?” Hinata says. “What kind of thought?”

“A person,” Kageyama says.

Hinata stops for a moment, then laughs. “Ah, Kageyama,” he says. “All that dating talk yesterday messed you up, huh? That’s why you got so annoyed about me not getting dating. You have a crush.”

Kageyama nods slowly, letting his bag fall to the ground. He has his back turned to Hinata, but Hinata can see that his shoulders are tight. Hinata’s smile fades. He’s never seen Kageyama upset about anything but volleyball. He wonders if Kageyama likes this person more than volleyball.

“Did she reject you?” Hinata asks softly.

“There’s no point confessing,” Kageyama says, fists clenched. “I know they won’t return my feelings.”

“Maybe… you could try?”

Kageyama just shakes his head. Hinata doesn’t know how Kageyama can know they won’t return his feelings if he doesn’t ask, but he figures Kageyama probably knows better. Maybe she’s got a boyfriend. Or she’s too old. Honestly, Hinata can’t imagine what kind of girl Kageyama would even like this much.

He does the best he can think of, and runs around to face Kageyama. Kageyama is stooped, shaking a little. “Would a hug make you feel better?” Hinata asks. “Natsu always hugs me when I feel lonely or defeated, and it helps a lot.”

Kageyama gives a curt nod, and lets his head fall onto Hinata’s shoulder. He’s still stiff, hands still clenched. He feels hot, a little too hot, and Hinata takes a moment to register that Kageyama is touching him like this. Waiting for a hug. After the moment passes, he wraps his arms around Kageyama’s shoulders. It’s a little awkward, not the ideal position, but before Hinata could suggest a more comfortable position, he noticed his shoulder was feeling decidedly wet.

 _Kageyama is crying_. And not in the moment after a match, either. He’s crying… over something that’s not even volleyball related.

Hinata can’t understand it.

He can barely imagine himself crying over something that’s not volleyball, but Kageyama…

Suga is there in an instant, settling one hand on Kageyama’s back. “What happened?” he asks, gently.

“He has a crush,” Hinata says, because Kageyama doesn’t seem up to it.

“Ah,” Suga says, as if this isn’t the strangest thing. Like this is all to be expected. “Would you like to take practice off today?”

Kageyama nods, and Hinata is even more confused now.

 “You’re feverish,” Suga says, pulling Kageyama away. “Would you like me to walk you home?”

Kageyama shakes his head. “There should be a setter at practice,” Kageyama says, rubbing at his nose.

“I can walk him home,” Yachi volunteers, because now everyone is watching and muttering about things.

Hinata wants to walk Kageyama home, but he thinks maybe it’s better if someone who understands these romance things walks him home. Yachi must get it. She’s a girl. Girls get romance, right? Hinata has never felt so strongly about anyone that he would miss practice just because they didn’t like him.

He feels weird about the fact that Kageyama does, and he doesn’t understand that either.

He’s distracted all through practice. He gets hit in the face at least three times. Yachi comes back after a while and he wants to ask her about Kageyama. Maybe he told her something about the crush. Somehow no one else seems shocked or confused. They’re playing normally, and that frustrates him too.

He gets home and collapses into bed.  His face is sore. He feels awful. He wants someone to explain things to him.

Kenma. Kenma understands people. He watches them, and he learns things… surely he knows something about romance.

He texts Kenma, **_Have you ever been in love?_ ** He can’t really imagine the shy setter being in love. It seems too passionate for him.

 ** _Yes,_** Kenma texts, within a few seconds. Always on his phone.

Hinata stares at the text. First Kageyama and then Kenma? Still, it seems more believable with Kenma. Or at least it doesn’t make him feel funny, like with Kageyama.

**_Did it ever make you cry?_ **

**_No._ **

Hinata sighs. **_Is it scary?_** Maybe Kenma isn’t the one to ask about this. He’s not talkative, sometimes not even over texts.

**_Losing them is_ ** **.**

**_Do they love you back?_ **

**_Yes._ **

**_What’s that like?_ **

This reply takes a long, long time.

**_Like sleeping in a blanket fort on a rainy day, playing games._ **

That sounds nice, and Hinata smiles, because he can imagine that that would be the perfect day for Kenma. Closed off from the world, playing games, relaxed. Maybe for Hinata it would be different. Maybe it would be like hitting a ball, high over his opponents, seeing over the net, onto the court…

… like Kageyama’s freak quicks.

He blushes at the thought, but he thinks maybe he understands why Kageyama would cry over it now. It would be like knowing you’d never score a point, no matter how hard you worked or tried.

 ** _Thanks_** **,**  he texts Kenma. The next text is to Kageyama. **_Are you ok?_**

The reply comes in about an hour. **_Fever is going down. I’ll be able to play in a few days._**

 ** _I don’t care about that,_** Hinata texts, and he realizes it’s true. It didn’t even occur to him. **_We don’t have any real games. We’ll be fine without you._**

There’s no reply for a long time. Hinata realizes that over text it might not have sounded like an encouraging text, so he adds, **_I just want you to get better._**

Now the reply comes quickly. **_Thanks._**

Kageyama doesn’t come to school the next day. Or the day after that. The third day, he comes in, and he seems to be a little quieter than usual, but there’s nothing strange about him. “Feeling better, Kageyama?” Hinata calls after him as they walk towards the gym.

“Yes,” Kageyama says. He pauses, then turns around to face Hinata, looking angry. “Don’t go easy on me because I cried,” he snaps. Hinata cocks his head. “I was feverish. You can’t blame me.”

“Ok,” Hinata says. “I just wanted to make sure you weren’t still feeling sick.”

“I’m not,” Kageyama says. “You can race me again. I’m looking forward to beating you.”

“Hey,” Hinata cries. “I’m ahead right now! 140 wins and 139 losses!”

“140 losses. I understood romance and you didn’t,” Kageyama says.

“I get it now!” Hinata cries. “Kenma explained it to me!”

Kageyama goes quiet, a funny look on his face. “K-Kenma?”

“Yeah,” Hinata says. “He’s in love and he explained it to me.” Kageyama slumps forward, probably because he’s upset that he couldn’t explain something that another setter could. “I wonder what kind of girlfriend Kenma could have…”

“I still understood it first!” Kageyama snaps.

Hinata looks up at him. He frowns, furrowing his brows. “I guess. Fine, we’re tied. But I’m only giving you the win because you cried.”

Kageyama goes an appalling shade of red. “I told you, you can’t blame me for that! Would I make fun of you for getting sick?!”

“I don’t know what you’re upset about. You get a win from it.”

“Dumbass!”

“Back to normal, I see,” Tsukishima drawls as he sweeps past.

Kageyama seems to lose steam there. “Come on,” he sighs. “Let’s get to practice.”

-X-

It clicks by accident. Though accident may be an understatement. It’s more of a series of accidents, each stacked onto each other’s heads, higher and higher until they build into a tower of accidents that topples over into that tiny click.

The first mistake is small and easy to make, and had it not spiraled into the series of events, might not have gone unnoticed. They’re in a practice match against Nekoma, just for fun, because it’s a gap between serious matches. It’s been tied for two and a half matches now, like Seijoh but with a team they like, which makes it a great deal more fun and also a great deal more nerve-wracking.

Hinata gets a glimpse of Kenma’s face as he’s flying through the air, just a split second... but he can tell that Kenma is excited. Invested. It excites him so much he hits the spike harder than he meant to.

It’s obviously a point for Karasuno. No one is receiving that. It’s too far from all of them, too fast to catch in a dive.

Kenma jumps anyway, and he manages to grab it, sloppy, and it drives him into the ground with it.

There’s a moment of silence, the resounding crack still ringing in the air.

Kuroo and Hinata are running before anyone else has the chance to respond. They nearly knock into each other as they both slide to look over Kenma.

Kenma is lying motionless, staring up at the ceiling. “I… got… overexcited?” he says, not specifically to them, just shocked at the very fact of it all.

“Are you ok? Did you hit your head?” Kuroo is saying.

“Yes,” Kenma says.

“Does it hurt?”

“Yes.”

“Can you sit up?”

“Don’t wanna.”

Kuroo slides his hands under Kenma’s arms and pulls him up to look at the back of his head, and Kenma slumps over his arm and pukes. The Nekoma team, which has gathered all around them by now, dissolves into panicked cries over their precious setter.

“Loud,” Kenma mutters.

“Quiet,” Kuroo says, glaring at his team. They quiet down instantly. “Come on, let’s get you to a hospital.” He pulls Kenma into his arms, letting him rest his head on his shoulder, and stands up.

-X-

That’s how two full volleyball teams end up in the waiting room of a Tokyo hospital emergency room. They get to Kenma fairly quickly. The Nekomata is explaining something to the nurses, and when they call out for Kenma, they let Kuroo walk in with him without hesitation.

About half an hour later, Kuroo comes out, scratching his head. “Well, he’ll be fine,” he says, sounding painfully relieved. “But he has to stay overnight for observation, which I’m sure he’ll hate. But he’s got a nice concussion.”

“I’m sorry!” Hinata cries.

“Ah,” Kuroo says with a tired smile. “Don’t worry. These things happen. I’m glad you got him worked up. It’s good for him.”

Hinata doesn’t feel much better at that.

“Come on,” Kuroo says. “Come see he’s ok, you’ll feel better.” He looks at his team. “The rest of you stay. You can wish him well when we take him home, until then it’s best not to overwhelm him in an unfamiliar place like this.”

The team yells their agreement, and Nekomata gathers them up to leave.

Hinata dashes over to follow Kuroo. He watches Kuroo carefully. “Does he never get excited about things?” he asks. He can’t imagine.

“He does,” Kuroo replies, grinning. “But never so much that he admits it.”

Hinata frowns. “Not even about his girlfriend?” he asks.

Kuroo freezes, midstep. “Girlfriend?”

“Oh…” Hinta says. He’s not quite sure what the problem is, but he knows he’s said something. “I don’t know if he has one… he just said he’s in love.”

“He said that?” Kuroo asks, with a strange expression on his face as he twists around, very slowly. Almost like he’s almost about to lose his usual composure.

“Y-yes,” Hinata says. He hadn’t thought that Kuroo wouldn’t know about it. Now he wishes he hadn’t said anything. It was probably a secret.

“Did he say anything else?” Kuroo says, grabbing Hinata by the shoulders.

“T-that it was like sitting in a blanket fort on a rainy day,” Hinata mutters. If he’s gone this far, he might as well be honest.

Kuroo looks at him, wide-eyed. Finally, slowly, he relaxes. “Oh,” he says. “He means me.”

“Huh?” Hinata says.

“You scared me,” Kuroo continues. “I want him to be happy, but I’d hate to think he’d have a crush on someone else and not bother to tell me.”

“He’s in love with you?”

“I’m the only one he likes to make blanket forts with,” Kuroo says, a little proud.

“And… you’re in love with him?”

“Of course,” Kuroo says.

“Can I… can I ask something?” Hinata says, a little queasy suddenly.

“Sure.”

“How did you know you were in love?”

Kuroo sighs, putting his hands on his hips. “Well,” he says slowly. “It’s been so long I’m not sure when I knew for sure.” He chews at his cheek. “I think there was one time that a few kids were picking on him in school. They said something that bothered him more than usual, and when I saw the look on his face I knew I’d always want to do anything to keep him safe and happy.”

“But wouldn’t you want to keep all your friends safe and happy?”

“Well, yes,” Kuroo says. “But Kenma more so. When he feels safe and happy, I feel safe and happy. Being with Kenma is like getting home on a cold day, and suddenly you’re warm and comfortable.”

“Oh,” Hinata says. “So… he makes you feel special… and happy?”

“Yeah,” Kuroo laughs. “Come on. Let’s not leave him waiting.”

-X-

Ukai has to drag Hinata away from Kenma’s hospital room with both hands in the evening. Kenma keeps telling him to leave, says he’s much too loud, it hurts his head (which is unfair, because he’s been trying to be extra quiet), but Hinata suddenly wants to see how they do it. He watches the way Kenma curls into Kuroo, the way Kuroo goes soft whenever he looks at or touches Kenma. The way that Kuroo will do anything Kenma asks of him, and Kenma seems to know it, even though Kuroo is constantly teasing and nagging him.

He gets on the bus with a headache, trying to figure it all out.

“Hey,” Kageyama snaps as he notices Hinata’s frown. “You’re not still worried about Kenma, huh?”

“No,” Hinata says. “I’m just thinking.”

“Don’t hurt yourself,” Tsukishima says as he sweeps past.

Kageyama glares at him, but Hinata barely registers it. “Hey,” he says again. “You’re not going to hurt yourself, are you?”

Hinata mumbles noncommittally.

Kageyama huffs. “Fine, hurt yourself for all I care,” he grumbles, sitting down on the seat next to Hinata. Hinata shifts quietly so he has room.

No matter what anyone says about love, Hinata keeps thinking about the moment in the air, with Kageyama tossing to him. Even when it doesn’t fit with what he’s being told. It’s not a warm moment, with him and Kageyama. Sure, sometimes when Kageyama smiles at him, without forcing it and making it creepy, it’s a little warm. But that’s not what he keeps thinking of.

Is he confusing his love for volleyball with romantic love? After all, he’s not thinking of anything but Kageyama’s tosses when he thinks of Kageyama…

Of course, that’s not entirely true either. Kageyama works hard to keep up with him. To win, sure, but also… also when Hinata needs something from him. And they’re friends. They think the same way in a lot of ways and help each other out before games and during games…

… Maybe Hinata keeps thinking about volleyball things because he and Kageyama are equally obsessed with volleyball. That’s important too, right?

He twists it around in his head over and over. It doesn’t help that Kageyama is snoring softly beside him. He looks serene like this. Hinata wouldn’t mind seeing him serene more often.

Happy.

He wouldn’t mind seeing Kageyama happy. Happy all the time.

He shoves his face into his hands and sighs.

Even if he is in love with Kageyama, though, what’s the point of figuring it out? Kageyama is in love with someone else. He cares about them maybe even more than he cares about volleyball. And suddenly, Hinata thinks maybe he does too, and he understands now why Kageyama cried about it. He wants to cry too.

It feels like another competition. Kageyama could rise above his love for volleyball, and Hinata had to follow… and yet it still feels like he’s been left in the dust.

“Dumbass,” Kageyama mutters, cracking one eye open. “I told you not to hurt yourself.”

“It’s nothing,” Hinata mumbles, gripping the seat ahead of him hard, head pressed tightly against his knuckles.

Kageyama goes quiet for the rest of the bus ride, but Hinata can tell he’s not sleeping. Just watching Hinata as Hinata tries not to fall apart in front of him.

It’s dark when they get back to Miyagi. Hinata scoops up his bike, ready to finally bike home and cry without Kageyama watching. Kageyama, of course, doesn’t know that’s his plan. Stupid Kageyama.

“Hey,” he calls after Hinata, just as Hinata finally gets to turning his back on Kageyama, one foot on the pedal. “It’s late. Do you want to come over to my house? You seem tired for biking in the dark.”

 “I’m fine,” Hinata grits out.

“Please let me walk with you for a while,” Kageyama says, slightly pleading.

Hinata sighs. “Fine.”

Kageyama jogs over to him, watching quietly as Hinata starts to walk. “You’re blaming yourself, aren’t you?” he says finally.

“No,” Hinata says.

“You’re upset. You’re not acting like yourself,” Kageyama prods.

“It’s not about Kenma,” Hinata says.

Kageyama is quiet, then, “Will you tell me what it’s about?”

“It’s just a crush,” Hinata says. “I’ll get over it faster than you did.”

Another silence.

“It’s not Kenma, is it?”

Hinata blinks. “Huh?”

“You spent all that time with Kenma today and now you’re upset about a crush,” Kageyama snaps, suddenly on the defensive. “It’s not stupid to assume you have a crush on Kenma.”

Strangely enough, Hinata feels a little better with Kageyama yelling at him. “I’m not in love with Kenma,” he says.

“Kuroo?!” Kageyama blurts out.

“I’m not in love with Kuroo, dumbass!” Hinata yells at him. “I just talked with them about some stuff, and I was thinking about what love means, and I realized I’m in love with someone, but it’s useless because they’re in love with someone else!”

“Dumbass,” Kageyama sighs. “You needed help figuring out how to fall in love and you still did it wrong.”

“Hey!” Hinata cries. “You’re the one who said it’s not about strategy! You can’t make fun of me for this, you heartless bastard!”

“You feel better, though,” Kageyama says calmly. “You’re not as quiet as you are on the bus.”

Hinata stares at him as the world slides down around him. _Manipulated into feeling better,_ Hinata thinks. _How humiliating_. “D-dumbass…” Hinata manages. “That’s not how you comfort people.”

“Why not? If it works,” Kageyama says smoothly.

“B-because… You’re so mean… You could never… I can’t believe…” Hinata stutters, stopping to stare at Kageyama. Kageyama keeps walking, and Hinata has to run to catch up with him.

They finally reach the street that branches off towards Kageyama’s house. “Are you sure you don’t want to stay over?” Kageyama says.

“Yeah,” Hinata says, though by now he isn’t sure. He doesn’t feel like crying anymore. “I’ll be fine biking home.”

“Goodnight, then,” Kageyama says, turning away. Hinata pauses for a moment, then starts on his own way, at least until Kageyama calls out after him.

“What?” Hinata calls back. He turns around, and Kageyama is pointing at him, with a scary look on his face. Hinata thinks about all the things he could have said to piss Kageyama off in the past second, and whether it’s a good idea to start running away. “I didn’t do anything!” he cries, just to be safe.

“I like you,” Kageyama yells, like Hinata has offended him.

“Heh?” Hinata says.

“I… I thought it might make you feel better,” Kageyama says, still sounding angry. “To know someone is in love with you even though the person you want isn’t.”

“Heh?” Hinata says again. His brain has shut down. Does he… respond? How? What…

Kageyama suddenly looks terrified instead of angry. “S… Sorry,” he says quickly. He turns to go, and Hinata knows he should say something, but he’s frozen. Entirely… painfully…

…

… and…

…now…

…Kageyama is long gone.

 _Dumbass,_ Hinata tells himself. _Why didn’t you say something?_

-X-

Kageyama has never been so mortified by the thought of going into practice. _I thought it would make you feel better?_ he berates himself. Of course it didn’t make Hinata feel better to know that Kageyama was in love with him. Who would want to deal with a teammates feelings when they were already dealing with their own?

 _Idiot,_ he thinks _, dumbass._

“Kageyama!!” he hears behind him.

He freezes. What now? Does he race Hinata like nothing happened? Does he stay here and let Hinata beat him up for last night?

He keeps thinking about it until Hinata is right behind him, at which point he turns around just as Hinata is jumping towards him, which ends up with him accidentally elbowing Hinata in the face.

“S-sorry,” Kageyama manages, though what he really wants is to melt straight into the ground.

Hinata looks up at him and grins, and Kageyama is truly lost now. “Eh?” he says.

“Sorry I froze yesterday,” Hinata says brightly. “You caught me by surprise is all.”

“Sorry,” Kageyama mutters. “I… I didn’t mean…”

“I like you too!” Hinata cries.

“Heh?” Kageyama breathes. It feels strangely like a repeat of yesterday, except now he’s the one staring blankly at Hinata. Of course, Hinata has the advantage of Kageyama’s previous confession, so he just stands there grinning.

“It took me a while to realize, but I’m pretty sure now,” Hinata says, rubbing at the back of his head. “So if you want to try dating, I think I’d like that.”

“Heh?” Kageyama says again. “P-pretty sure? What does that mean?!”

“Oi, come on, Kageyama, I spent a lot of time trying to understand all this, don’t yell at me!” Hinata cries. He blushes. “I just know that no matter what anyone else me about love I think of you, so…”

“Oh.”

Hinata quickly starts fidgeting under his gaze. “So are we dating or not, dumbass?” he snaps.

“Well,” Kageyama says slowly. “You’ve asked me for dumber things and they turned out pretty good, so I guess we might as well.”

“Yeah!” Hinata says, bouncing in the air until he realizes what Kageyama said. “Hey! What do you mean, dumber things? I asked for tosses that I could hit myself, what’s dumb about that, huh?”

“You’re lucky they worked,” Kageyama says, strolling towards the gym. “Or we’d have spent a lot of time practicing for nothing.”

“Well they did work, lazy Kageyama!” Hinata shouts, dashing after him. On a whim, he grabs Kageyama’s hand. Kageyama blushes, and it’s so cute that Hinata decides from now on to hold his hand whenever he can. “And it was awesome, just like we’re going to be. We’re going to be the best couple ever!”

Kageyama is blushing even more now, but he smiles, one of his rare, shyer smiles that Hinata barely ever sees. “Ok,” he says. “Challenge accepted.”

Hinata grins back up at him.

-X-

About a week later, Hinata texts a selfie of himself and Kageyama to Kenma. It’s kind of a challenge, though he’s not sure Kenma will see it that way.

After a few hours, he gets back a picture. Kenma’s clearly trying not to be a part of it, but Kuroo is grinning happily, the phone obviously in his hand while Kenma is actively melting under his arm, playing a game on his PSP.

“Ah, Kageyama,” Hinata cries, showing him the picture. “We have a rival couple, look! So cute!” He glares down at his phone. “We have to beat them.”

“Dumbass,” Kageyama mutters, but after a bit, he agrees to let Hinata take a picture of them kissing to send to Kenma.

 


End file.
